Two Suspects Arrested in Killing of Haines City Rapper

Wednesday

Apr 25, 2012 at 7:07 AMApr 25, 2012 at 11:29 PM

Police in Lake Wales have arrested two men in the Monday morning shooting on North Scenic Highway that injured one person and left another fatally wounded. Jerry Pride Jr., 24, of Lake Wales, was arrested Tuesday night and booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, police said.

By MATTHEW PLEASANTTHE LEDGER

LAKE WALES | Police in Lake Wales have arrested two men in the Monday morning shooting on North Scenic Highway that injured one person and left another fatally wounded.

Jerry Pride Jr., 24, of Lake Wales, was arrested Tuesday night and booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, police said.

Brandon C. Nealy, 22, of Lake Wales, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, police said. It is unclear based on police reports available Wednesday what role Nealy may have played in the shooting.

Pride fired on three vehicles early Monday as they headed north on Scenic Highway, according to the Lake Wales Police Department. He rode in a sport utility vehicle headed north with the other three vehicles. The SUV moved into the oncoming lane, police said, and Pride took aim at the vehicles.

The shots fatally wounded Tibious Peterman, 20, who drove one of the vehicles, police said. A passenger in another vehicle, Timothy Hendrix, 28, was wounded in the leg.

Peterman, who at some point traded seats with a passenger in his vehicle, continued heading north on Scenic Highway into downtown Dundee, where they found a Polk County deputy, police said.

Officers found Hendrix in a vehicle at U.S. 27 and Mountain Lake Cutoff Road in Lake Wales. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

Lake Wales police and Polk County deputies investigated the shooting. Authorities say it stemmed from an earlier dispute that occurred at a Bartow club a month ago.

Some of the same men involved got into an argument at a club named DeCosey's in Lake Wales early Monday, police said.

One unidentified person heard Pride say that he and a group were "gonna wait for them at the BP, get them on the back road and shoot at them," according to Pride's arrest affidavit.

They left the club about 3 a.m., and the shooting occurred shortly after.

An unidentified person said Pride was seen pulling out a Glock handgun and a small rifle from the truck of his vehicle, according to the arrest affidavit. Witnesses told police that Pride at one point ran out of bullets while using the Glock and began using the rifle.

Pride came to the Lake Wales Police Department for questioning Tuesday night. An officer took him to the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Winter Haven for questioning and he was arrested.

Nealy turned himself into police and was booked into the Polk County Jail Wednesday night, police said.

The case is still under investigation. Police are asking anyone with information to call the Lake Wales Police Department at 863-678-4223 or Polk County Crime Stoppers at 800-226-8477.

[ Reporter Elvia Malagon contributed to this report. Matthew Pleasant can be reached at matthew.pleasant@theledger.com or 863-802-7590. ]